Although metalworking power tools have been in the US since the early 1860s, these pieces of equipment could only produce one component at a time and took longer to set up. Towards the closing stages of World War II and during the opening of the jet engine, the need for more complicated parts increased, just as there was a stage of conflict between machinists and management in large companies. These factors have come together to produce the demand for automated equipment that would produce large quantities of preferred components accurately, efficiently, reliably and repetitively.

The initial numerical control (NC) equipment was manufactured in the 1950s in collaboration with the US Air Force and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). The Air Force wanted to produce helicopter rotor blades that required precise machining of complex shapes. The equipment developed to take over the job, electronically controlled, without using a computer. Although unreliable and expensive, it was capable of automatically and precisely manufacturing the necessary components. It also laid the intended foundation for its modern plugin that is typically used today.

During the 1960s, precise NC machines were built, while specific computers were developed to assist and improve functionality. In the late 1970s, CNC machines were only assembled. As the price of personal computers fell during the 1980s, manufacturers seized the opportunity to reduce costs associated with the rise of CNC machines and build reliability.

CNC routers work by using computers to send signals to the stepper motor controller. The computer then tells the stepping device (a motor that interprets electrical pulses into precise mechanical motion) what course to turn and how many steps to take. The motor is coupled to a machine that drives the mills in the X, Y, and Z axes. Several CNC machines use servo motors instead of stepper motors. The advantage of using a servo motor is that metal can be cut at high speeds and due to the feedback ring; the machine knows its exact position.

CNC computerization has led to fewer failures in machined parts and has also reduced the amount of CNC machinist interference required, thus freeing them up to perform additional tasks.

For precise machining of small to average sized components, Ultra Precision Engineering uses a state-of-the-art, high-performance CNC milling center that can perform many diverse machining procedures in a single, precise operation.